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{{Short description|1982 film by Alan J. Pakula}}
{{Short description|1982 drama film}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2014}}
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| producer = {{ubl|Alan J. Pakula|[[Keith Barish]]|William C. Gerrity|Martin Starger}}
| producer = {{ubl|Alan J. Pakula|[[Keith Barish]]|William C. Gerrity|Martin Starger}}
| screenplay = Alan J. Pakula
| screenplay = Alan J. Pakula
| based_on = {{Based on|''[[Sophie's Choice (novel)|Sophie's Choice]]''|[[William Styron]]}}
| based_on = {{Based on|''[[Sophie's Choice (novel)|Sophie's Choice]]''<br>1979 novel|[[William Styron]]}}
| starring = {{plainlist|
| starring = {{plainlist|
* [[Meryl Streep]]
* [[Meryl Streep]]
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| distributor = [[Universal Pictures]]<br>[[Associated Film Distribution]]
| distributor = [[Universal Pictures]]<br>[[Associated Film Distribution]]
| released = {{Film date|1982|12|08|premiere|1982|12|10|United States|ref2=<ref name=AFI>{{AFI film|55227}}</ref>}}
| released = {{Film date|1982|12|08|premiere|1982|12|10|United States|ref2=<ref name=AFI>{{AFI film|55227}}</ref>}}
| runtime = 151 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 151:00--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/sophies-choice-1970-2 | title=''SOPHIE'S CHOICE'' (15) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=January 11, 1983 | access-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref>
| runtime = 151 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 151:00--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/sophies-choice-1970-2 | title=''SOPHIE'S CHOICE'' (15) | publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=January 11, 1983 | access-date=October 10, 2014 | archive-date=October 15, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141015113047/https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/sophies-choice-1970-2 | url-status=live }}</ref>
| country = United States
| country = United Kingdom<br>United States
| language = {{ubl|English|Polish|German}}
| language = {{ubl|English|Polish|German}}
| budget = $9 million<ref>[http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/sophies-choice Box Office Information for ''Sophie's Choice''.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326024757/http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/sophies-choice |date=March 26, 2014 }} ''[[The Wrap]]''. Retrieved April 4, 2013.</ref>
| budget = $9 million<ref>[http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/sophies-choice Box Office Information for ''Sophie's Choice''.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326024757/http://powergrid.thewrap.com/project/sophies-choice |date=March 26, 2014 }} ''[[The Wrap]]''. Retrieved April 4, 2013.</ref>
| gross = $30 million<ref name=mojo>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sophieschoice.htm|title=Box Office Information for ''Sophie's Choice''|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=April 1, 2013}}</ref>
| gross = $30 million<ref name=mojo>{{cite web|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sophieschoice.htm|title=Box Office Information for ''Sophie's Choice''|website=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=April 1, 2013|archive-date=December 2, 2002|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021202155644/https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sophieschoice.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Sophie's Choice''''' is a 1982 American [[psychological drama]] directed and written by [[Alan J. Pakula]], adapted from [[William Styron]]'s [[Sophie's Choice (novel)|1979 novel of the same name]]. The film stars [[Meryl Streep]] as Zofia "Sophie" Zawistowski, a [[Polish Americans|Polish immigrant]] with a dark secret from her past who shares a boarding house in Brooklyn with her tempestuous lover Nathan and young writer Stingo. It also stars [[Kevin Kline]] (in his feature film debut), [[Peter MacNicol]], [[Rita Karin]], [[Stephen D. Newman]], and [[Josh Mostel]].
'''''Sophie's Choice''''' is a 1982 [[psychological drama]] directed and written by [[Alan J. Pakula]], adapted from [[William Styron]]'s [[Sophie's Choice (novel)|1979 novel]]. The film stars [[Meryl Streep]] as Zofia "Sophie" Zawistowska, a [[Polish Americans|Polish immigrant]] to America with a dark secret from her past who shares a boarding house in Brooklyn with her tempestuous lover Nathan ([[Kevin Kline]] in his feature film debut), and young writer Stingo ([[Peter MacNicol]]). It also features [[Rita Karin]], [[Stephen D. Newman]] and [[Josh Mostel]] in supporting roles.


''Sophie's Choice'' premiered in Los Angeles on December 8, 1982, and was theatrically released on December 10 by [[Universal Pictures]]. It received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $30 million.
''Sophie's Choice'' premiered in Los Angeles on December 8, 1982, and was theatrically released on December 10 by [[Universal Pictures]]. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $30 million at the box office.

Streep's titular performance was almost unanimously praised. The film received five nominations at the [[55th Academy Awards]]; [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]], [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]], and [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]], with Streep winning [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]].
Streep's performance was highly praised. The film received five nominations at the [[55th Academy Awards]], for [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]], [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]], with Streep winning the award for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
In 1947, Stingo moves to [[Brooklyn]] to write a novel, and is befriended by Sophie Zawistowska, a Polish immigrant, and her emotionally unstable lover, Nathan Landau. Nathan is constantly jealous, and when he is in one of his violent mood swings, he convinces himself that Sophie is unfaithful to him, and he abuses and harasses her. A flashback shows how Nathan first met Sophie after her immigration to the U.S. when she nearly died due to [[anemia]].
In 1947, Stingo moves to [[Brooklyn]] to write a novel and is befriended by neighbors Sophie Zawistowska, a [[Polish people|Polish]] immigrant, and her emotionally unstable lover, Nathan Landau.
Nathan is constantly jealous and, when he is in one of his violent mood swings, he convinces himself that Sophie is unfaithful, and he abuses and harasses her. A flashback shows how Nathan first met Sophie after she immigrated to the U.S. when she collapsed from severe [[anemia]].

⚫
Sophie tells Stingo that before she came to the U.S., her husband and father were killed in a [[Arbeitslager|German work camp]], and she was interned in [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]]. Stingo later learns from a college professor Sophie's father was a Nazi sympathizer. When Stingo confronts Sophie with this, she admits the truth.

Sophie explains that after her father (a university professor) and her husband (her father's assistant) were taken away by the Nazis, she had a war-time lover, Józef. He lived with his half-sister, Wanda, and was a leader in the [[Home Army|Polish Resistance]]. Wanda tried to convince Sophie to translate some stolen [[Gestapo]] documents, but Sophie declined, fearing she might endanger her two children Jan and Eva.


Two weeks later, Józef was murdered by the Gestapo, and Sophie was arrested and sent to [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]] with her children. After arrival, Sophie was assigned as [[Rudolph Höss]]' secretary due to her language and office skills.
⚫
Sophie tells Stingo that before she came to the U.S., her husband and father were killed in a [[Arbeitslager|German work camp]], and that she was interned in the [[Auschwitz concentration camp]]. Stingo later learns from a college professor that Sophie's father was a Nazi sympathizer. When Stingo confronts Sophie with this, she admits the truth and tells him about her war-time lover, Józef, who lived with his half-sister, Wanda, and was a leader in the Resistance. Wanda tried to convince Sophie to translate some stolen [[Gestapo]] documents, but Sophie declined, fearing she might endanger her children. Two weeks later, Józef was murdered by the Gestapo, and Sophie was arrested and sent to Auschwitz with her two children Jan and Eva.


Nathan tells Sophie and Stingo that he is doing groundbreaking research at a pharmaceutical company, but Nathan's physician brother tells Stingo that Nathan has [[paranoid schizophrenia]], and that all of the schools that Nathan attended were "expensive [[Psychiatric hospital|funny farms]]". Nathan is not a biologist as he claims. He does have a job at a pharmaceutical firm, which his brother obtained for him, but it is in the library, and he only occasionally assists with research.
Nathan tells Sophie and Stingo he is doing groundbreaking research at [[Pfizer]], but Nathan's physician brother tells Stingo that Nathan has [[paranoid schizophrenia]] and all of the schools Nathan claimed to attend were actually expensive "[[Psychiatric hospital|funny farms]]". Nathan is not a biologist as he claims. He does have a job at Pfizer, which his brother obtained for him, but it is in the library, and he only occasionally assists with research.


After Nathan believes Sophie has betrayed him again, he calls Sophie and Stingo on the telephone and fires a gun in a violent rage. Sophie and Stingo flee to a hotel. She reveals to him that, upon arrival at Auschwitz, she was forced to choose which one of her two children would be gassed and which would proceed to the labor camp. To avoid having both children killed, she chose Jan to be sent to the children's camp and Eva to be murdered in the [[gas chamber]].
After Nathan believes Sophie has betrayed him again, he calls her and Stingo on the phone and fires a gun in a violent rage. Sophie and Stingo flee to a hotel, and he plans for a future for the two of them. She agrees to be with him but not to marry because she considers herself an unfit mother. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, she had been forced to choose which one of her children would be sent to the [[gas chamber]] and killed. If she failed to choose, both would be killed. Desperately, she chose to send Eva, her daughter, to the gas chamber, in order to save her son, Jan.


Sophie and Stingo have sex, but while Stingo is sleeping, Sophie returns to Nathan. Sophie and Nathan commit suicide by taking cyanide. Stingo recites the poem "[https://allpoetry.com/Ample-make-this-Bed Ample Make This Bed]" by [[Emily Dickinson]] — the American poet that Sophie was fond of reading.
Sophie and Stingo have sex. Then while he is sleeping, she leaves a note, returning to Nathan. Sophie and Nathan die by suicide together by taking [[cyanide]]. Stingo recites the poem "Ample Make This Bed" from a book by [[Emily Dickinson]], the American poet Sophie was fond of reading, that she left on a table next to her body.


Stingo moves to a small farm that his father recently inherited in southern Virginia to finish writing his novel.
Stingo moves to a small farm his father recently inherited in southern Virginia to finish writing his novel.


==Cast==
==Cast==
{{Castlist|
{{div col begin}}
* [[Meryl Streep]] as Zofia "Sophie" Zawistowski
* [[Meryl Streep]] as Zofia "Sophie" Zawistowska
* [[Kevin Kline]] as Nathan Landau
* [[Kevin Kline]] as Nathan Landau
* [[Peter MacNicol]] as Stingo
* [[Peter MacNicol]] as Stingo
* Greta Turken as Leslie Lapidus
* [[Rita Karin]] as Yetta Zimmerman
* [[Rita Karin]] as Yetta Zimmerman
* [[Stephen D. Newman]] as Larry Landau
* [[Stephen D. Newman]] as Larry Landau
Line 61: Line 69:
* Neddim Prohic as Józef
* Neddim Prohic as Józef
* [[Katharina Thalbach]] as Wanda
* [[Katharina Thalbach]] as Wanda
* Jennifer Lawn as Eva Zawistowski
* Jennifer Lawn as Eva Zawistowska
* Adrian Kalitka as Jan Zawistowski
* Adrian Kalitka as Jan Zawistowski
* Joseph Leon as Dr. Blackstock
* Joseph Leon as Dr. Blackstock
Line 69: Line 77:
* [[Josef Sommer]] as the Narrator (Stingo as an adult)
* [[Josef Sommer]] as the Narrator (Stingo as an adult)
* [[Karlheinz Hackl]] as SS doctor
* [[Karlheinz Hackl]] as SS doctor
* Günther Maria Halmer ([[:de:Günther Maria Halmer|de]]) as [[Rudolf Höss]]
* {{ill|Günther Maria Halmer|de}} as [[Rudolf Höss]]
}}
{{div col end}}


==Production==
==Production==
Styron wrote the novel with [[Ursula Andress]] in mind for the part of Sophie, and Slovak actress [[Magdaléna Vášáryová]] was also considered.{{Sfn|Longworth|2013|p=51}} Streep was very determined to get the role. After obtaining a bootlegged copy of the script, she went after Pakula, and threw herself on the ground, begging him to give her the part.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924815-8,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713113322/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924815-8,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2007 |title=What Makes Meryl Magic |access-date=March 28, 2007 |date=September 7, 1981 |work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | first=John | last=Skow}}</ref> Pakula's first choice was [[Liv Ullmann]], for her ability to project the foreignness that would add to her appeal in the eyes of an impressionable, romantic Southerner.
Styron wrote the novel with [[Ursula Andress]] in mind for the part of Sophie, and the Slovak actress [[Magdaléna Vášáryová]] was also considered.{{Sfn|Longworth|2013|p=51}} Streep was very determined to get the role. After obtaining a bootlegged copy of the script, she went after Pakula, and threw herself on the ground, begging him to give her the part.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924815-8,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713113322/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,924815-8,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 13, 2007 |title=What Makes Meryl Magic |access-date=March 28, 2007 |date=September 7, 1981 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | first=John | last=Skow}}</ref> Pakula's first choice was [[Liv Ullmann]], for her ability to project the foreignness that would add to her appeal in the eyes of an impressionable, romantic Southerner.


The film was mostly shot in [[New York City]], with Sophie's flashback scenes shot afterwards in [[Zagreb]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]].{{Sfn|Longworth|2013|p=56}}
The film was mostly shot in [[New York City]], with Sophie's flashback scenes shot afterwards in [[Zagreb]], [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. Production for the film, at times, was more like a theatrical set than a film set. Pakula allowed the cast to rehearse for three weeks and was open to improvisation from the actors, "spontaneous things", according to Streep.{{Sfn|Longworth|2013|p=56}}
Production for the film, at times, was more like a theatrical set than a film set. Pakula allowed the cast to rehearse for three weeks, and was open to improvisation from the actors, "spontaneous things", according to Streep.{{Sfn|Longworth|2013|p=56}} Streep had to lose a lot of weight to film the scenes in Yugoslavia at the concentration camp.


==Release==
==Release==
The film had its premiere at the [[Samuel Goldwyn Theater]] in [[Los Angeles]] on Wednesday, December 8, 1982 and then opened December 10 in nine theatres in [[New York City]] (Cinema 1 and 3); Los Angeles (Avco 2); [[San Francisco]]; [[San Jose, California]]; [[Chicago]]; [[Dallas]]; [[Washington D.C.]]; and [[Toronto]].<ref name=AFI/><ref name=open>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=December 14, 1982|page=1|title=Major Openings Bolster B.O.}}</ref>
The film had its premiere at the [[Samuel Goldwyn Theater]] in [[Los Angeles]] on Wednesday, December 8, 1982, and then opened on December 10 in nine theatres in [[New York City]] (Cinema 1 and 3), Los Angeles (Avco 2), [[San Francisco]], [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], [[Chicago]], [[Dallas]], [[Washington D.C.]], and [[Toronto]].<ref name=AFI/><ref name=open>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=December 14, 1982|page=1|title=Major Openings Bolster B.O.}}</ref>


==Reception==
==Reception==
===Critical reception===
===Critical reception===
[[File:Meryl Streep December 2018.jpg|thumb|251x251px|[[Meryl Streep]] received critical acclaim for her performance as Sophie ]]
''Sophie's Choice'' received positive reviews. On review aggregator website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], it holds a 78% rating based on 41 reviews, with an average score of 7.00/10. The consensus reads, "''Sophie's Choice'' may be more sobering than stirring, but Meryl Streep's Oscar-winning performance holds this postwar period drama together."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sophies_choice/ | title=Sophie's Choice | work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]] | access-date=September 2, 2021 }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a 68 out of 100 rating based on 9 critics, signifying "generally favorable reviews"."<ref name="Meta">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sophies-choice|title=Sophie's Choice|work=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref>
''Sophie's Choice'' received positive reviews. On the review aggregator website ''[[Rotten Tomatoes]]'', it holds a 74% rating based on 43 reviews, with an average score of 6.90/10. The consensus reads, "''Sophie's Choice'' may be more sobering than stirring, but Meryl Streep's Oscar-winning performance holds this postwar period drama together."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sophies_choice/| title=Sophie's Choice| website=Rotten Tomatoes| access-date=June 26, 2024| archive-date=July 4, 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240704000520/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sophies_choice| url-status=live}}</ref> On ''[[Metacritic]]'', the film has a 68 out of 100 ratings based on nine critics, signifying "generally favorable reviews".<ref name="Meta">{{cite web| url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/sophies-choice| title=Sophie's Choice| website=Metacritic| access-date=October 10, 2014| archive-date=January 14, 2018| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114175825/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/sophies-choice| url-status=live}}</ref>

⚫
[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film four out of four stars, calling it "a fine, absorbing, wonderfully acted, heartbreaking movie. It is about three people who are faced with a series of choices, some frivolous, some tragic. As they flounder in the bewilderment of being human in an age of madness, they become our friends, and we love them."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sophies-choice-1982 |title=Sophie's Choice |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=[[Sun-Times Media Group]]|location=Chicago, Illinois|via=[[RogerEbert.com]] |date=January 1, 1982|access-date=November 27, 2018 }}{{rating|4|4}}</ref>


⚫
[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' gave the film four out of four stars, calling it "a fine, absorbing, wonderfully acted, heartbreaking movie. It is about three people who are faced with a series of choices, some frivolous, some tragic. As they flounder in the bewilderment of being human in an age of madness, they become our friends, and we love them".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sophies-choice-1982 |title=Sophie's Choice |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |newspaper=Chicago Sun-Times |via=RogerEbert.com |date=January 1, 1982 |access-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-date=May 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524023754/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/sophies-choice-1982 |url-status=live }}{{rating|4|4}}</ref>
[[Gene Siskel]] of ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, finding it "not as powerful or as involving" as the novel but praising Streep for a "striking performance."<ref>{{cite news|first=Gene|last=Siskel|author-link=Gene Siskel|date=December 10, 1982|title=Because of Streep, 'Sophie's' survives|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|page=1}}{{rating|3.5|4}}</ref>


[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "Though it's far from a flawless movie, 'Sophie's Choice' is a unified and deeply affecting one. Thanks in large part to Miss Streep's bravura performance, it's a film that casts a powerful, uninterrupted spell."<ref>{{cite news|last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=December 10, 1982 |title=Screen: Styron's 'Sophie's Choice' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/10/movies/styron-s-sophie-s-choice.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=C12 }}</ref>
[[Gene Siskel]] of ''[[The Chicago Tribune]]'' gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, finding it "not as powerful or as involving" as the novel but praising Streep for a "striking performance".<ref>{{cite news |first=Gene |last=Siskel |author-link=Gene Siskel |date=December 10, 1982 |title=Because of Streep, 'Sophie's' survives |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |page=1}}{{rating|3.5|4}}</ref>


Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' stated, "There is greatness in the extraordinary performances of Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Peter MacNicol, who endow the principal characters of 'Sophie's Choice' with appealing, ultimately heartbreaking individuality and romantic glamor."<ref>{{cite news|last=Arnold |first=Gary |date=December 10, 1982 |title='Sophie's' Passionate Power |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |publisher=[[Washington Post Company]]|location=Washington, D.C.|page=D1 }}</ref>
[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "Though it's far from a flawless movie, 'Sophie's Choice' is a unified and deeply affecting one. Thanks in large part to Miss Streep's bravura performance, it's a film that casts a powerful, uninterrupted spell."<ref>{{cite news |last=Maslin |first=Janet |author-link=Janet Maslin |date=December 10, 1982 |title=Screen: Styron's 'Sophie's Choice' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/10/movies/styron-s-sophie-s-choice.html |newspaper=The New York Times |page=C12 |archive-date=February 19, 2020 |access-date=April 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200219093104/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/10/movies/styron-s-sophie-s-choice.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


Gary Arnold of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote, "There is greatness in the extraordinary performances of Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Peter MacNicol, who endow the principal characters of 'Sophie's Choice' with appealing, ultimately heartbreaking individuality and romantic glamor."<ref>{{cite news |last=Arnold |first=Gary |date=December 10, 1982 |title='Sophie's' Passionate Power |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=D1 }}</ref>
Not all reviews were positive.


[[Todd McCarthy]] at ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "a handsome, doggedly faithful and astoundingly tedious adaptation of William Styron's best-seller. Despite earnest intentions and top talent involved, lack of chemistry among the three leading players and over-elaborated screenplay make this a trying experience to sit through."<ref>{{cite magazine|date=December 8, 1982 |title=Film Reviews: Sophie's Choice |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |page=16|last=McCarthy|first=Todd|author-link=Todd McCarthy }}</ref>
Not all reviews were positive. [[Todd McCarthy]] at ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it "a handsome, doggedly faithful and astoundingly tedious adaptation of William Styron's best-seller. Despite earnest intentions and top talent involved, lack of chemistry among the three leading players and over-elaborated screenplay make this a trying experience to sit through."<ref>{{cite magazine |date=December 8, 1982 |title=Film Reviews: Sophie's Choice |magazine=Variety |page=16 |last=McCarthy |first=Todd}}</ref>


[[Sheila Benson]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote, "Although many of the book's characters have been cut away, and with them some of its torrent of words, the film feels claustrophobic, prolix and airless to the point of stupefaction ... Yet, whatever the film's overall problems, the role of Sophie, its beautiful, complex, worldly heroine, gives Meryl Streep the chance at bravura performance and she is, in a word, incandescent."<ref>[[Sheila Benson|Benson, Sheila]] (December 10, 1982). "Streep Shines Through 'Sophie' Drawbacks". ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Part VI, p. 1.</ref>
[[Sheila Benson]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote, "Although many of the book's characters have been cut away, and with them some of its torrent of words, the film feels claustrophobic, prolix and airless to the point of stupefaction ... Yet, whatever the film's overall problems, the role of Sophie, its beautiful, complex, worldly heroine, gives Meryl Streep the chance at bravura performance and she is, in a word, incandescent."<ref>{{cite news |author=Benson, Sheila |date=December 10, 1982 |title=Streep Shines Through 'Sophie' Drawbacks |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/390414116/?terms=%22streep%20shines%22&match=1 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=1 Part VI |url-access=subscription |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |access-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327033341/https://www.newspapers.com/image/390414116/?terms=%22streep%20shines%22&match=1 |url-status=live }}</ref>


''[[Boston Globe]]'' film critic Michael Blowen wrote, "Pakula's literal adaptation of Styron's ''Sophie's Choice'' is an admirable, if reverential, movie that crams this triangle into a {{frac|2|1|2}}-hour character study enriched by Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, and nearly destroyed by Peter MacNicol."<ref name="Meta" />
''[[The Boston Globe]]'' film critic Michael Blowen wrote, "Pakula's literal adaptation of Styron's ''Sophie's Choice'' is an admirable, if reverential, movie that crams this triangle into a {{frac|2|1|2}}-hour character study enriched by Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, and nearly destroyed by Peter MacNicol."<ref name="Meta" />


[[Pauline Kael]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote that it "is, I think, an infuriatingly bad movie ... The whole plot is based on a connection that isn't there—the connection between Sophie and Nathan's relationship and what the Nazis did to the Jews. Eventually, we get to the Mystery—to Sophie's Choice—and discover that the incident is garish rather than illuminating, and too particular to demonstrate anything general."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kael |first=Pauline |author-link=Pauline Kael |date=December 27, 1982 |title=The Current Cinema |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |location=New York City|page=75 }}</ref>
[[Pauline Kael]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote that it "is, I think, an infuriatingly bad movie ... The whole plot is based on a connection that isn't there—the connection between Sophie and Nathan's relationship and what the Nazis did to the Jews. Eventually, we get to the Mystery—to Sophie's Choice—and discover that the incident is garish rather than illuminating, and too particular to demonstrate anything general".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kael |first=Pauline |date=December 27, 1982 |title=The Current Cinema |magazine=The New Yorker |page=75 }}</ref>


Streep's characterization was voted the third-greatest movie performance of all time by ''[[Premiere Magazine]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmsite.org/100greatperformances4.html|title=Premiere Magazine: The 100 Greatest Performances of All Time|website=[[Filmsite.org|FilmSite]]|access-date=February 27, 2013}}</ref> The film was also ranked number one in [[Roger Ebert]]'s Top Ten List for 1982, and was listed on [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]] at number 91.
Streep's characterization was voted the third-greatest film performance of all time by ''[[Premiere Magazine|Premiere]]'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmsite.org/100greatperformances4.html |title=Premiere Magazine: The 100 Greatest Performances of All Time |website=[[Filmsite.org|FilmSite]] |access-date=February 27, 2013 |archive-date=August 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815032413/http://www.filmsite.org/100greatperformances3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was also ranked number one in [[Roger Ebert]]'s Top Ten List for 1982 and was listed on [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition)]] at number 91.


==Accolades==
==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
|-
! Award
! Award
Line 112: Line 118:
! Nominee(s)
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Result
! Ref.
|-
|-
| rowspan="5"| [[55th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
⚫
| rowspan="5"| [[55th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]<ref name="Oscars1983">{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983 |title=The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-10-09 |work=oscars.org |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120905/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/55th-winners.html |archive-date=2012-09-05}}</ref>
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Meryl Streep]]
| [[Meryl Streep]]
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
⚫
| align="center" rowspan="5"| <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1983 |title=The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners |access-date=October 9, 2011 |publisher=[[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120905/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/55th-winners.html |archive-date=September 5, 2012}}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]]
| [[Alan J. Pakula]]
| [[Alan J. Pakula]]
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
Line 134: Line 142:
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
|-
|-
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1982|Boston Society of Film Critics Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bostonfilmcritics.org/past-winners-1980s/ |title=BSFC Winners: 1980s |website=[[Boston Society of Film Critics]] |date=July 27, 2018 |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 1982|Boston Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| rowspan="2"| Meryl Streep
| rowspan="2"| Meryl Streep
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://bostonfilmcritics.org/past-winners-1980s/ |title=BSFC Winners: 1980s |publisher=[[Boston Society of Film Critics]] |date=July 27, 2018 |access-date=July 5, 2021 |archive-date=September 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180925220026/https://bostonfilmcritics.org/past-winners-1980s/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[37th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1984/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1984 |website=[[BAFTA]] |year=1984 |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|1984}}}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| [[37th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1984/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 1984 |publisher=[[British Academy Film Awards]] |access-date=September 16, 2016 |archive-date=May 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529062633/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1984/film |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles|Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles|Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles]]
| [[Kevin Kline]]
| [[Kevin Kline]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Danish Film Awards
| Best Foreign Film
| Alan J. Pakula
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
|-
|-
Line 156: Line 161:
| Meryl Streep
| Meryl Streep
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|
|-
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[40th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/sophies-choice |title=Sophie's Choice – Golden Globes |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=August 13, 2021 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|1983}}}}</ref>
| rowspan="3"| [[40th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/sophies-choice/ |title=Sophie's Choice |publisher=[[Golden Globe Awards]] |access-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813070414/https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/sophies-choice |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
Line 172: Line 179:
| colspan="2"| [[Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film|Outstanding Foreign Language Film]]
| colspan="2"| [[Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Foreign Language Film|Outstanding Foreign Language Film]]
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|
|-
|-
| [[Kansas City Film Critics Circle|Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards]]
⚫
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1980-89/ |title=KCFCC Award Winners – 1980-89 |website=kcfcc.org |date=December 14, 2013 |access-date=May 15, 2021}}</ref>
| Best Actress
| Best Actress
| Meryl Streep
| Meryl Streep
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Julie Andrews]] for ''[[Victor/Victoria]]''.}}
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[Julie Andrews]] for ''[[Victor/Victoria]]''}}
⚫
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1980-89/ |title=KCFCC Award Winners – 1980-89 |publisher=[[Kansas City Film Critics Circle]] |date=December 14, 2013 |access-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201105239/https://kcfcc.org/kcfcc-award-winners-1980-89/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[Kinema Junpo|Kinema Junpo Awards]]
| [[Kinema Junpo|Kinema Junpo Awards]]
Line 182: Line 191:
| Alan J. Pakula
| Alan J. Pakula
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
|-
| [[1982 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards|Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lafca.net/Years/1982.php |title=The 8th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards |website=[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]] |access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref>
| [[1982 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards|Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Meryl Streep
| Meryl Streep
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lafca.net/Years/1982.php |title=The 8th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards |publisher=[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]] |access-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185023/http://www.lafca.net/Years/1982.php |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[Mainichi Film Awards]]
| [[Mainichi Film Awards]]
Line 192: Line 203:
| Alan J. Pakula
| Alan J. Pakula
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
| align="center"|
|-
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1982|National Board of Review Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1982/ |title=1982 Award Winners |website=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1982|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|3rd Place}}
| {{draw|3rd Place}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1982/ |title=1982 Award Winners |publisher=[[National Board of Review]] |access-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-date=February 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213060118/https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/1982/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[National Board of Review Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
Line 201: Line 214:
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
|-
|-
| [[1982 National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |title=Past Awards |website=[[National Society of Film Critics]] |date=December 19, 2009 |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
| [[1982 National Society of Film Critics Awards|National Society of Film Critics Awards]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |title=Past Awards |publisher=[[National Society of Film Critics]] |date=December 19, 2009 |access-date=July 5, 2021 |archive-date=July 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729100021/https://nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/about-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[1982 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/nyfccas?year=1982 |title=1982 New York Film Critics Circle Awards |website=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]] |access-date=August 13, 2021}}</ref>
| rowspan="2"| [[1982 New York Film Critics Circle Awards|New York Film Critics Circle Awards]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| {{won}}
| {{won}}
| align="center" rowspan="2"| <ref>{{cite web |url=https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/nyfccas?year=1982 |title=1982 New York Film Critics Circle Awards |publisher=[[Mubi (streaming service)|Mubi]] |access-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813070412/https://mubi.com/awards-and-festivals/nyfccas?year=1982 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
|-
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer|Best Cinematography]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematographer|Best Cinematography]]
Line 217: Line 232:
| Meryl Streep
| Meryl Streep
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"|
|-
|-
| [[35th Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551|title=Awards Winners|work=wga.org|publisher=Writers Guild of America|archive-url=https://archive.today/VDl7|archive-date=2012-12-05|access-date=2010-06-06}}</ref>
| [[35th Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Drama – Adapted from Another Medium]]
| Alan J. Pakula
| Alan J. Pakula
| {{nom}}
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |title=Awards Winners |publisher=[[Writers Guild of America Awards]] |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121205095022/http://www.wga.org/awards/awardssub.aspx?id=1551 |archive-date=December 5, 2012 |access-date=June 6, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|}
|}


Line 234: Line 251:
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
;Bibliography
;Bibliography
* {{cite book|last=Longworth|first=Karina|title=Meryl Streep: Anatomy of an Actor|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dJv1mwEACAAJ|date=2013|publisher=Phaidon Press|isbn=978-0-7148-6669-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Longworth |first=Karina |title=Meryl Streep: Anatomy of an Actor |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dJv1mwEACAAJ |year=2013 |publisher=Phaidon Press |isbn=978-0-7148-6669-7}}


==External links==
==External links==
Line 241: Line 258:
* {{mojo title|sophieschoice}}
* {{mojo title|sophieschoice}}
* {{IMDb title|0084707}}
* {{IMDb title|0084707}}
* {{tcmdb title|id=20346}}


{{Alan J. Pakula}}
{{Alan J. Pakula}}
{{Mainichi Film Award for Foreign Film Best One Award}}
{{Mainichi Film Award for Foreign Film Best One Award}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Sophie's Choice}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sophie's Choice}}
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s German-language films]]
[[Category:1980s Polish-language films]]
⚫
[[Category:1980s American films]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]
[[Category:1982 films]]
[[Category:1982 films]]
[[Category:1982 drama films]]
[[Category:1982 drama films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:1982 multilingual films]]
[[Category:American drama films]]
[[Category:American drama films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:American multilingual films]]
[[Category:German-language films]]
[[Category:British drama films]]
[[Category:Polish-language films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Alan J. Pakula]]
[[Category:Films scored by Marvin Hamlisch]]
[[Category:Films scored by Marvin Hamlisch]]
⚫
[[Category:Films directed by Alan J. Pakula]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award-winning performance]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe-winning performance]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
⚫
[[Category:Films about Nazism]]
[[Category:Films about Polish-American culture]]
[[Category:Films about the aftermath of the Holocaust]]
[[Category:Films set in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Films set in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:Films set in 1947]]
[[Category:Films set in 1947]]
[[Category:Films shot in Croatia]]
[[Category:Films shot in Croatia]]
⚫
[[Category:Women and death]]
[[Category:ITC Entertainment films]]
[[Category:ITC Entertainment films]]
[[Category:Controversies]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films about Nazism]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award–winning performance]]
[[Category:Films about the aftermath of the Holocaust]]
[[Category:Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe–winning performance]]

Latest revision as of 14:08, 23 December 2024

Sophie's Choice
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAlan J. Pakula
Screenplay byAlan J. Pakula
Based onSophie's Choice
1979 novel
by William Styron
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNestor Almendros
Edited byEvan A. Lottman
Music byMarvin Hamlisch
Production
companies
ITC Entertainment
Keith Barish Productions
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Associated Film Distribution
Release dates
  • December 8, 1982 (1982-12-08) (premiere)
  • December 10, 1982 (1982-12-10) (United States)[1]
Running time
151 minutes[2]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
Languages
  • English
  • Polish
  • German
Budget$9 million[3]
Box office$30 million[4]

Sophie's Choice is a 1982 psychological drama directed and written by Alan J. Pakula, adapted from William Styron's 1979 novel. The film stars Meryl Streep as Zofia "Sophie" Zawistowska, a Polish immigrant to America with a dark secret from her past who shares a boarding house in Brooklyn with her tempestuous lover Nathan (Kevin Kline in his feature film debut), and young writer Stingo (Peter MacNicol). It also features Rita Karin, Stephen D. Newman and Josh Mostel in supporting roles.

Sophie's Choice premiered in Los Angeles on December 8, 1982, and was theatrically released on December 10 by Universal Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $30 million at the box office.

Streep's performance was highly praised. The film received five nominations at the 55th Academy Awards, for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score, with Streep winning the award for Best Actress.

Plot

[edit]

In 1947, Stingo moves to Brooklyn to write a novel and is befriended by neighbors Sophie Zawistowska, a Polish immigrant, and her emotionally unstable lover, Nathan Landau.

Nathan is constantly jealous and, when he is in one of his violent mood swings, he convinces himself that Sophie is unfaithful, and he abuses and harasses her. A flashback shows how Nathan first met Sophie after she immigrated to the U.S. when she collapsed from severe anemia.

Sophie tells Stingo that before she came to the U.S., her husband and father were killed in a German work camp, and she was interned in Auschwitz. Stingo later learns from a college professor Sophie's father was a Nazi sympathizer. When Stingo confronts Sophie with this, she admits the truth.

Sophie explains that after her father (a university professor) and her husband (her father's assistant) were taken away by the Nazis, she had a war-time lover, Józef. He lived with his half-sister, Wanda, and was a leader in the Polish Resistance. Wanda tried to convince Sophie to translate some stolen Gestapo documents, but Sophie declined, fearing she might endanger her two children Jan and Eva.

Two weeks later, Józef was murdered by the Gestapo, and Sophie was arrested and sent to Auschwitz with her children. After arrival, Sophie was assigned as Rudolph Höss' secretary due to her language and office skills.

Nathan tells Sophie and Stingo he is doing groundbreaking research at Pfizer, but Nathan's physician brother tells Stingo that Nathan has paranoid schizophrenia and all of the schools Nathan claimed to attend were actually expensive "funny farms". Nathan is not a biologist as he claims. He does have a job at Pfizer, which his brother obtained for him, but it is in the library, and he only occasionally assists with research.

After Nathan believes Sophie has betrayed him again, he calls her and Stingo on the phone and fires a gun in a violent rage. Sophie and Stingo flee to a hotel, and he plans for a future for the two of them. She agrees to be with him but not to marry because she considers herself an unfit mother. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, she had been forced to choose which one of her children would be sent to the gas chamber and killed. If she failed to choose, both would be killed. Desperately, she chose to send Eva, her daughter, to the gas chamber, in order to save her son, Jan.

Sophie and Stingo have sex. Then while he is sleeping, she leaves a note, returning to Nathan. Sophie and Nathan die by suicide together by taking cyanide. Stingo recites the poem "Ample Make This Bed" from a book by Emily Dickinson, the American poet Sophie was fond of reading, that she left on a table next to her body.

Stingo moves to a small farm his father recently inherited in southern Virginia to finish writing his novel.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Styron wrote the novel with Ursula Andress in mind for the part of Sophie, and the Slovak actress Magdaléna Vášáryová was also considered.[5] Streep was very determined to get the role. After obtaining a bootlegged copy of the script, she went after Pakula, and threw herself on the ground, begging him to give her the part.[6] Pakula's first choice was Liv Ullmann, for her ability to project the foreignness that would add to her appeal in the eyes of an impressionable, romantic Southerner.

The film was mostly shot in New York City, with Sophie's flashback scenes shot afterwards in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. Production for the film, at times, was more like a theatrical set than a film set. Pakula allowed the cast to rehearse for three weeks and was open to improvisation from the actors, "spontaneous things", according to Streep.[7]

Release

[edit]

The film had its premiere at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles on Wednesday, December 8, 1982, and then opened on December 10 in nine theatres in New York City (Cinema 1 and 3), Los Angeles (Avco 2), San Francisco, San Jose, Chicago, Dallas, Washington D.C., and Toronto.[1][8]

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception

[edit]
Meryl Streep received critical acclaim for her performance as Sophie

Sophie's Choice received positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 74% rating based on 43 reviews, with an average score of 6.90/10. The consensus reads, "Sophie's Choice may be more sobering than stirring, but Meryl Streep's Oscar-winning performance holds this postwar period drama together."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a 68 out of 100 ratings based on nine critics, signifying "generally favorable reviews".[10]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four stars, calling it "a fine, absorbing, wonderfully acted, heartbreaking movie. It is about three people who are faced with a series of choices, some frivolous, some tragic. As they flounder in the bewilderment of being human in an age of madness, they become our friends, and we love them".[11]

Gene Siskel of The Chicago Tribune gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, finding it "not as powerful or as involving" as the novel but praising Streep for a "striking performance".[12]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote, "Though it's far from a flawless movie, 'Sophie's Choice' is a unified and deeply affecting one. Thanks in large part to Miss Streep's bravura performance, it's a film that casts a powerful, uninterrupted spell."[13]

Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote, "There is greatness in the extraordinary performances of Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and Peter MacNicol, who endow the principal characters of 'Sophie's Choice' with appealing, ultimately heartbreaking individuality and romantic glamor."[14]

Not all reviews were positive. Todd McCarthy at Variety called it "a handsome, doggedly faithful and astoundingly tedious adaptation of William Styron's best-seller. Despite earnest intentions and top talent involved, lack of chemistry among the three leading players and over-elaborated screenplay make this a trying experience to sit through."[15]

Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Although many of the book's characters have been cut away, and with them some of its torrent of words, the film feels claustrophobic, prolix and airless to the point of stupefaction ... Yet, whatever the film's overall problems, the role of Sophie, its beautiful, complex, worldly heroine, gives Meryl Streep the chance at bravura performance and she is, in a word, incandescent."[16]

The Boston Globe film critic Michael Blowen wrote, "Pakula's literal adaptation of Styron's Sophie's Choice is an admirable, if reverential, movie that crams this triangle into a 2+1⁄2-hour character study enriched by Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, and nearly destroyed by Peter MacNicol."[10]

Pauline Kael of The New Yorker wrote that it "is, I think, an infuriatingly bad movie ... The whole plot is based on a connection that isn't there—the connection between Sophie and Nathan's relationship and what the Nazis did to the Jews. Eventually, we get to the Mystery—to Sophie's Choice—and discover that the incident is garish rather than illuminating, and too particular to demonstrate anything general".[17]

Streep's characterization was voted the third-greatest film performance of all time by Premiere magazine.[18] The film was also ranked number one in Roger Ebert's Top Ten List for 1982 and was listed on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) at number 91.

Accolades

[edit]
Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Actress Meryl Streep Won [19]
Best Adapted Screenplay Alan J. Pakula Nominated
Best Cinematography Néstor Almendros Nominated
Best Costume Design Albert Wolsky Nominated
Best Original Score Marvin Hamlisch Nominated
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actress Meryl Streep Won [20]
British Academy Film Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role Nominated [21]
Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Kevin Kline Nominated
David di Donatello Awards Best Foreign Actress Meryl Streep Nominated
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [22]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Meryl Streep Won
New Star of the Year – Actor Kevin Kline Nominated
Japan Academy Film Prize Outstanding Foreign Language Film Nominated
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress Meryl Streep Won[a] [23]
Kinema Junpo Awards Best Foreign Language Film Alan J. Pakula Won
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Actress Meryl Streep Won [24]
Mainichi Film Awards Best Foreign Language Film Alan J. Pakula Won
National Board of Review Awards Top Ten Films 3rd Place [25]
Best Actress Meryl Streep Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actress Won [26]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actress Won [27]
Best Cinematography Néstor Almendros Won
Sant Jordi Awards Best Performance in a Foreign Film Meryl Streep Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Drama – Adapted from Another Medium Alan J. Pakula Nominated [28]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Tied with Julie Andrews for Victor/Victoria

References

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  1. ^ a b Sophie's Choice at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  2. ^ "SOPHIE'S CHOICE (15)". British Board of Film Classification. January 11, 1983. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  3. ^ Box Office Information for Sophie's Choice. Archived March 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine The Wrap. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  4. ^ "Box Office Information for Sophie's Choice". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on December 2, 2002. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
  5. ^ Longworth 2013, p. 51.
  6. ^ Skow, John (September 7, 1981). "What Makes Meryl Magic". Time. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
  7. ^ Longworth 2013, p. 56.
  8. ^ "Major Openings Bolster B.O.". Daily Variety. December 14, 1982. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Sophie's Choice". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on July 4, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Sophie's Choice". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  11. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1982). "Sophie's Choice". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2018 – via RogerEbert.com.
  12. ^ Siskel, Gene (December 10, 1982). "Because of Streep, 'Sophie's' survives". Chicago Tribune. p. 1.
  13. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 10, 1982). "Screen: Styron's 'Sophie's Choice'". The New York Times. p. C12. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  14. ^ Arnold, Gary (December 10, 1982). "'Sophie's' Passionate Power". The Washington Post. p. D1.
  15. ^ McCarthy, Todd (December 8, 1982). "Film Reviews: Sophie's Choice". Variety. p. 16.
  16. ^ Benson, Sheila (December 10, 1982). "Streep Shines Through 'Sophie' Drawbacks". Los Angeles Times. p. 1 Part VI. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  17. ^ Kael, Pauline (December 27, 1982). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker. p. 75.
  18. ^ "Premiere Magazine: The 100 Greatest Performances of All Time". FilmSite. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2013.
  19. ^ "The 55th Academy Awards (1983) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  20. ^ "BSFC Winners: 1980s". Boston Society of Film Critics. July 27, 2018. Archived from the original on September 25, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  21. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1984". British Academy Film Awards. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  22. ^ "Sophie's Choice". Golden Globe Awards. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  23. ^ "KCFCC Award Winners – 1980-89". Kansas City Film Critics Circle. December 14, 2013. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  24. ^ "The 8th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  25. ^ "1982 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  26. ^ "Past Awards". National Society of Film Critics. December 19, 2009. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  27. ^ "1982 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". Mubi. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  28. ^ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America Awards. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
Bibliography
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